I'm sort of new to choosing a specific needle. My mom (and other people as far as I knew) only replaced needles when they broke or were no longer able to get through the fabric. But maybe her machine only took one kind? (I think it was an old Singer - it was turquoise colored, lol, and she bought it sometime in the mid-1960s).

Anyway, the material I'm using feels a lot like canvas - woven, no stretch, fairly heavy weight. Not quite as thick as denim, but stiffer. I will only be seeing simple (straight) seams. The thickest part will be the zipper (2 layers fabric plus heavy duty zipper). -- Edited on 12/17/12 4:14 PM --

You might take the scraps from your project and test the different needles on it...My machine seems to do better with a topstitch 14 on heavy fabrics..I've also had good stitching from an universal 90.
Generally, I test out the needles before starting a new project with different materials...easier in the long run, rather than trying to determine if the machine thinks that the fabric is light, heavy or medium weight. If you don't have a selection of basic needles, you might take your JoAnn's or Hancocks coupons and collect a pack of each of the basics. All my machines do well with the Schmetz Universal sizes, so that's what I've got with the addition of a jeans and topstitch.
Good luck with your project!

------2009-113.25 yds
2010-115.5
2011-80.25+30+donated
2012 86.3 yds..
2013 21.0
Everyone who sews seriously has a stockpile of fabrics, because it is natural to purchase more than can be sewn in any one season" Singer, Timesaving Sewing, 1987

I would be inclined to use a size 100/16 denim needle as it has a very sharp point to penetrte the dense weave of the canvas type fabric.

The reason I would use a size 100/16 is that when you go to sew the zipper tape you may need this slightly heavier needle to penetrate the even denser zipper tape along with the two layers of fabric.

You could get away with a 90/14 denim needle on the base fabric but as I said above I think the slightly heavier needle will serve you better with the zip and then you should get nice stitch quality on the zipper tape.

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